DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Evan Smith scored 14 points to lead three Lebanon Valley men's basketball scorers in double figures on Saturday afternoon in a tough 70-54 defeat at Delaware Valley University inside James Work Gymnasium in Doylestown.
 
Smith gave the Dutchmen a 3-2 lead with a three-pointer off an assist by Luis Garcia a little under 90 seconds into the game. The Aggies retook the lead with a 4-0 run over two minutes as the first five minutes saw little scoring. Tyson Hofsass hit a pair of free throws and then scored on a layup to put the Dutchmen up by one with 15 minutes on the clock. DVU responded with a three-pointer, but LVC came right down the court and Hofsass responded with a three. The teams traded buckets and the lead with the Aggies tying the game at 18 on a free throw attempt midway through the half.
 
The Aggies hit a jumper before Smith knocked down a trey to give LVC a 21-20 advantage with eight minutes left. The lead was still at one with a little under six minutes left when Ryan Harder scored and Smith hit another three to give the Dutchmen a 28-22 lead. Delaware Valley scored the next five points to bring it back to a one-point game before Kyle Tang found Karson Pavlik under the basket for a layup. The Aggies closed the half strong with a 5-0 run in the final two minutes to take a 32-30 lead into the break.
 
Tang began the second half scoring with a jumper to tie the game up. The Aggies grabbed a defensive rebound and got a layup in transition to retake the lead before Smith converted all three free throws to give LVC a 35-34 advantage. DVU responded with a pair of layups and then Harder scored on a jumper. The Aggies scored their next four points at the line while LVC received a layup by Jevon Griffin and two made free throws from Hofsass.
 
The DVU lead was at 44-42 with 13 minutes left when the hosts used a 7-0 run over a three-minute span to take a nine-point advantage. The Aggies were able to increase their lead to 58-44 with eight minutes remaining before Garcia ended a scoring drought for the Dutchmen with a layup. The Dutchmen had the Aggies in foul trouble as Garcia, Harder, and Hofsass knocked down free throws, but DVU still led by 11 with just under four minutes to play. Delaware Valley scored the next seven points to increase the lead up to their largest lead of the game at 18.
 
Inside the Box

• Smith hit a trio of three-pointers and knocked down all three free throws he took for 14 points. It is his eighth game of the year scoring in double figures.
• Hofsass had another strong game with 12 points and four rebounds off the bench. He was 7-8 at the line.
• Harder had 11 points and seven rebounds including two on the offensive end.
• Tang had three offensive rebounds and five rebounds total to go with four points and three assists.
• Garcia had seven rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, four points, and three steals.
• LVC had 13 offensive rebounds in the game and blocked four shots at the other end of the court.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will be back on the road this Wednesday as they travel across state lines to Madison, New Jersey where they will take on FDU-Florham in what is essentially a must-win game to keep their playoff chances alive. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Ferguson Recreation Center.

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